Not-so-grand finale

MODESTO - For some players of the Stockton Ports, Monday's end to the California League regular season couldn't come soon enough - and it showed.

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By Kevin Niendorf

recordnet.com

By Kevin Niendorf

Posted Sep. 3, 2013 at 12:01 AM

By Kevin Niendorf
Posted Sep. 3, 2013 at 12:01 AM

» Social News

MODESTO - For some players of the Stockton Ports, Monday's end to the California League regular season couldn't come soon enough - and it showed.

The playoff-bound Modesto Nuts shut out the Ports 11-0, Stockton's eighth shutout loss of the season, as a crowd of 2,249 fans at John Thurman Field saw Nuts pitcher Ben Alsup claim his league-best 13th victory. Stockton's Tanner Peters, also gunning for his 13th win, gave up two runs over four innings before leaving with a sore back.

In his last start against the Nuts on Aug. 9, Peters (12-8, 4.08 ERA) had a perfect game before giving up a double with one out in the ninth inning. He said Monday he was content with how the season played out.

"We had a good team; I felt like I learned a lot," Peters said. "We were close to making the playoffs, but if you want to win you have to be more consistent. We just didn't have it enough."

Ports manager Webster Garrison said he won't know if he'll be back to manage the team until a couple of months after the World Series. Knowing the ballplayers go their separate ways immediately after the last game of the season, he spoke to the team before Monday's game.

"I thanked them for their hard work and told them I wished it had turned out different," Webster said of not making the playoffs. "I thought we had potential at the start of the season, but it just didn't work out for us. Some guys got better throughout the year, and that's what it's all about.

"It's a long season, so they need to take a break from baseball," he added. "I wish them all the best of luck."

Stockton's Tony Thompson reflected on a season that saw the Ports (31-39 second half, 69-71 overall) narrowly miss out on a winning season overall.

"We had a couple of bad runs that hurt us down the stretch," said Thompson, after the team lost 12 of its last 16 games. "We had a lot of good wins, so it's kind of bittersweet to have it end."

After Peters gave up two runs on three consecutive hits to the Nuts (43-27, 75-65) in the second inning, he left in the fourth with five strikeouts. Modesto added a run in the sixth inning before blowing the game open with a six-run seventh inning. Omar Duran, Seth Frankoff and T.J. Walz all gave up runs in their three combined innings of work.

Stockton's first four batters were 2 for 16, and the Ports were 0 for 8 with runners in scoring position.

Jordan Ribera had three hits and four RBI for the Nuts while teammate Tyler Massey had two doubles.